Motor vehicles are equipped with a parking assistance system, which monitors the rear area using sensors when parking in reverse, for example, as to whether a stationary or mobile object is located in this area. If the distance to the object, such as a garage wall, falls below a minimum distance, a corresponding warning message is output in order to avoid an impact. However, in the parked state, the motor vehicle can be located so close to the garage wall that, for example, a rear hatch which pivots upward on a minivan, for example, cannot be opened or can no longer be opened completely, because there is no longer sufficient space to pivot up the rear hatch.
An obstruction recognition system is known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,403,102 B2, in which the horizontal extension of a tailgate of a pickup truck, which can be pivoted downward, can be taken into consideration when ascertaining a minimum required distance to an obstruction. Thus, even when the rear hatch is closed, a minimum distance to a garage wall, for example, can be maintained, in order to nonetheless still be able to fold down the tailgate without damage.
Furthermore, DE 102 16 901 A1 discloses a protective unit on a motor vehicle having an adjustable vehicle part. For example, if a convertible top is to be opened on a stationary cabriolet using a motor, it can be checked using sensors whether the pivot area of the cabriolet top, i.e., essentially an area above the motor vehicle, is free of obstructions in order to avoid damage. If not, automatic adjustment of the vehicle part is not performed.
The known motor vehicles are disadvantageous in that only a horizontal distance can be checked for sufficient clearance when parking and only the area above the cabriolet top can be checked as to whether it is free of obstructions in the case of a stationary motor vehicle.
It is at least one object to provide a motor vehicle of the type cited at the beginning in which a parking procedure is executable in such a manner that the mobile vehicle part, such as a rear hatch, can be opened without the danger of damage in the parked state of the motor vehicle. A method for monitoring a vehicle environment is also to be disclosed. Furthermore, other objects, desirable features, and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.